Intermediate Experimental Vehicle, ESA Program Aerothermodynamics- Transition And Steps And Gaps Assessment
Abstract
The Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) project objectives are the design, development, manufacture and ground and flight verification of an autonomous European lifting and aerodynamically controlled re-entry system, which is highly flexible and manoeuvrable. The IXV vehicle is a flying test bed for securing the next step of operational space vehicle development by supporting technology demonstration and system concept through the following objectives: a) Aerothermodynamics b) Advanced In Flight Experiments c) Thermal Protection System d) Guidance Navigation and Control e) System design The assessment of the general aerothermodynamic environment of IXV vehicle is mainly performed considering a smooth simplified geometry. However, the thermal protection system of IXV includes a mono-block ceramic matrix composite nose and an assembly of shingles between which steps and gaps are generated. From an aerothermodynamic point of view, such a distributed roughness layout cannot be ignored in terms of modification of the interaction between the flow and the body. To assess this effect, dedicated Mach number 5.5 wind tunnel tests (ONERA, S3MA facility) and numerical simulations (RTECH and CFS Engineering) have been performed during the phase C2 of the project. The paper presents the general logic of the work, with emphasis on the wind tunnel model design, tests involving infrared thermal measurements as well as the CFD rebuilding of the flow in the wind tunnel and the extrapolation from ground-to-flight.
- Publication:
-
7th European Symposium on Aerothermodynamics
- Pub Date:
- May 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011ESASP.692E..44V